Arnold Grummer's Design Team Blog

It is hard to believe that fall is almost upon us! Here in Michigan, it is still quite hot and flowers are still in bloom. I decided to grab some from the garden and preserve them for a card! I did not want to wait for them to dry for several weeks so instead, I got out my Microfleur . Available at the Arnold Grummer's website - the Microfleur allows you to press and dry flowers with your Microwave! This is fun, quick and easy! The Microfleur includes felt and cotton pads which you place your flower on. Secure the sides and microwave for 30 to a minute. Time varies depending on the size and thickness of the flower.  This Black Eyed Susan took less than a minute I also made paper using my Pour Handmold   My husband just had a birthday and I was able to snag, save, all of the envelopes from the cards. These make amazing colorful papers! I love this blue! I cut the mason jar out of vellum which allowed the stems to show through. I cut ...

If you were like me, you thought pressing flowers involved a large book, paper towels and weeks of time! Not any more! What if I told you that flowers can be pressed in 30 seconds? Well, it is true! Let me introduce you to the Microfleur -- With this press, flowers can go from your garden to cards and projects in seconds! All you need is this kit and a microwave! Let me show you how! I picked a large hydrangea bloom I opened the press and carefully placed the small flowers on the linen surface.  Add the top layers and use the clips to close the sandwich I pressed these in the microwave for 30 seconds. Carefully remove the flowers. They may be hot and are also fragile. It did not take long before I had a bowlful of flowers for my project! I had an old frame which I had gotten at a thrift store and this was the perfect item to repurpose - a wonderful philosophy that Mr. Grummer loved.  I covered the image with a tissue paper, s...

I have found that surface embedment is one fun activity! It's also addicting and you will find yourself looking for different things to embed. You can watch the man himself Arnold Grummer explaining how to do surface embedment here in THIS video . Botanicals are excellent for this technique. This maple leaf is one that I dried last fall using my Arnold Grummer Microfleur Flower Press . The leaf part was the easiest to embed, but the stem had to be gently pushed down by my finger to sink down into the paper as it isn't as flexible...yet doable! You can also add other things like punchinella and a word from a magazine.  If you add the items to the bottom corner of the paper then you can fold it over to make an instant card! You can also take scrapbook embellishments like this butterfly and embroidery floss to create your image. I did find that the cardstock butterfly needed to soak a little before becoming pliable enough to accept the fibers and embe...

Hi everyone, Sandee here with a sparkly card made with Arnold Grummer's  Metallic Dust Set . I just love the rich golden hue that shimmers and shines! And it's really easy to add inclusions like this in a sheet of handmade paper. ( How To Make Paper )   I also added a fern leaf that I pressed in my  Microfleur  Flower Press     last summer and look how pretty that green has stayed! I used the top part of the fern to symbolize a tree and then hand stitched a snow bank which morphs into the word love . And guess what? You can get your own flower press on SALE...and you know spring is around the corner which means lots of pretty flowers to press and keep, so get yours now! Arnold Grummer's ® Garden Press &   Microfleur  Flower Press   Sale

I am a literary creature, I just love the feel of a book in my hands. If you are like me then you will want the perfect page-saver for your favorite novels or your much-loved Trash to Treasure book !  I had made this simple bookmark out of my mulberry paper that I made this past summer ( you can go here to revisit that post and how I made the paper )...it's functional, but I could embellish it some. Thankfully I used my Arnold Grummer Microfleur press a LOT this past summer so I have lots of pressed flowers and yes, weeds to choose from on a dreary rainy day to use. So after choosing something, in this case, I think it's a random weed ( but with lots if fun texture ) I took my Helmar Decoupage & Craft Paste and first coated the paper, then laid the stem on top of it. Next I cut a piece of tissue paper the size of the bookmark and pressed it gently over the stem and then coated it again with the Decoupage paste. I left the tissue paper hanging over the e...

I admit it, I do. I love walking through the woods, smelling the pine needles, listening to the birds.... yes, I am a nature lover. So I knew I wanted to make some nature themed wall art with Fall leaves with the Paper Quilt from Arnold Grummer , but Fall is not getting here fast enough for me so I made this wall hanging from a white Mulberry tree instead. I did cut the squares from the kit down into a rectangle shape just slightly smaller than the sheets of paper that you create by using the medium Dip Handmold , that way the deckled edges would have plenty of room to hang off the edge without the sturdy white chipboard backing showing. Each sheet of handmade Mulberry paper was attached to the chipboard with Helmars Craft & Hobby PVA glue , which is a great glue for adhering delicate paper because it doesn't seep through the paper. The entire wall hanging ( excluding the beads, grommets and the velvet thread ) came from a white Mulberry tree. The hanger...

Howdy everyone! I am so looking forward to going on my art-cation next month with my good friend Anna, we are going to sketch, watercolor, make "ocean" paper and have all sorts of fun, art filled days! I wanted to make a special journal to do some sketching in while I am down at the beach so I created a themed journal from one of the Tall Zig Zag books that Arnold Grummer makes. They are so cool and easy to put together that I can see them as great gift giving ideas too...and you know what is approaching quickly in 126 days! yikes!! ( hint: starts with a C....) However, this one is going to be for moi! I did use regular card stock to cover the book since I didn't have any handmade paper large enough on hand ( my bad!! ) but I did have a yummy piece of hand made paper that screamed "sea" to me and I used it to layer on the top of the card stock. I just love those deckled edges hanging over the edges of the cover, sure I could have cut them off.....